🔥Miriam

Hebrew or Egyptian
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"

Miriam Origin and Meaning

The name Miriam is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved".

The oldest-known form of Mary, serious and solemn Miriam has been a particular favorite of observant Jewish parents. But we can see it extending beyond that sphere into the next wave of Old Testament names post-Rachel, Rebecca, Sarah, Hannah, and Leah. Miriam is currently the Number 1 girls' name in Israel.

Miriam is the Old Testament form of the Hebrew Maryam. The original meaning of Maryam is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

In the Old Testament, Miriam appears in Exodus as the older sister of Moses and Aaron, a prophetess who led the triumphal song and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea and deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians.

Miriam is an artistic character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun and in Henry James's The Tragic Muse, Miriam Rooth is a talented young half-Jewish actress, Miriam Leviers is a farm girl in D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, and Miriam is the eponymous central character of a haunting Truman Capote short story.

One notable namesake is South African singer Miriam Makeba. More relaxed nicknames: Miri, Mira, and Mimi.

# 251 in the US

Miriam Rank in US Top 1000

# 219 on Nameberry

Miriam Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Miriam Popularity

Famous People Named Miriam

  • Miriam
    Biblical sister of Moses
  • (Ellen) Miriam Hopkins
    American actress
  • (Zenzile) Miriam Makeba
    South African singer and activist
  • Miriam Margolyes
    English,Australian actress
  • Miriam Stoppard
    English medical writer
  • Miriam Oremans
    Dutch tennis player
  • Miriam Leslie (born Miriam Florence Folline)
    American publisher and author
  • Miriam Katherine McDonald
    Canadian actress
  • Miriam Arlene Stockley
    South African,British singer
  • Miriam Lau (Kin
    yee), Hong Kong politician
  • Miriam Yeung (Chin
    wah), Hong Kong actress and singer
  • Miriam "Mira" Weinstein
    mother of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein; half of the namesake for his production company Miramax
  • Miriam Melanie Bryant
    Swedish,Finnish singer,songwriter
  • Miriam O'Callaghan
    Irish TV and radio broadcaster
  • Miriam Weeks aka Belle Knox
    American adult film actress and student
  • Miriam Blennerhassett
    member of the Irish music group Anuna

Miriam in Pop Culture

  • Miriam Forcible
    a retired actress in "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
  • Miriam Pataki
    Helga's mother on the series "Hey Arnold!"
  • Miriam Pelham
    character in Miriam's Well by Lois Ruby
  • Miriam Fisher
    character in "Freak" by Marcella Pixley
  • Miriam Miller
    main character in "Miriam" by Truman Capote
  • Miriam Blaylock
    character in 1983 film "The Hunger"
  • "Miriam
    " Finnish film and its main character
  • Miriam
    main character in H. Rider Haggard's, Pearl Maiden
  • Miriam Reinoso
    main character and antagonist of the Argentinian teen series "Caídos del Mapa"
  • MIRIAM
    English Vocaloid
  • Miriam 'Miri' Ammerman
    protagonist in Judy Blume's novel In The Unlikely Event
  • Miriam "Mim" Possible
    great,great,aunt of Kim Possible on "Kim Possible"
  • Miriam Kent
    character on TV's "H2O: Just Add Water"
  • Miriam Beaks
    a character from the Nickelodeon cartoon "Harvey Beaks"
  • Miriam "Midge" Maisel
    character on TV's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"